The reigning champions ended the Lakers’ 8-game win streak last night. However, the Purple and Gold also suffered from the loss of LeBron James, who had to exit the game in the fourth quarter after picking up an injury.
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He incurred a left groin strain while spinning past Jaylen Brown in the paint. James successfully banked in his shot to cut the Celtics’ lead to just 7 points but the injury forced the 40-year-old to head to the locker room with 22 points, 14 rebounds and 9 assists, and 6:44 remaining in the final period.
The groin strain reminded James of the 2018-19 season, when a similar injury derailed his first campaign with the Lakers. ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported on the four-time MVP’s outlook after the game.
“LeBron James said his mind immediately went to his groin injury Christmas Day 2018 when he felt a pop in his groin and missed significant time. James said he does not believe this injury is as bad as that one, and then knocked on the wooden locker behind him to not jinx it,” McMenamin shared.
LeBron James said his mind immediately went to his groin injury Christmas Day 2018 when he felt a pop in his groin and missed significant time. James said he does not believe this injury is as bad as that one, and then knocked on the wooden locker behind him to not jinx it.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) March 9, 2025
Playing in his 17th Christmas game, LeBron and the Lakers were scheduled to take on the Golden State Warriors on December 25th, 2018. The King played for 21 minutes, picking up 17 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists before straining his left groin.
He would be forced to leave that game in the third quarter and unfortunately, miss the next 17 matchups as his body recovered. That injury would ultimately derail his first season in Los Angeles and lead to the first LeBron-less Playoffs in 14 years.
With Luka Doncic on his team now, the King doesn’t have to worry about the postseason. But if his recent injury forces him to miss more than 10 games, James’ All-NBA eligibility could come under threat. Notably, James has made an All-NBA team consecutively for the past 20 years.
A grade I strain could sideline the NBA’s leading scorer for 2 weeks but a grade II strain could require as many as 6 weeks of recovery. Nobody knows their body as well as James though. In 2022, LeBron faced another groin strain which only kept him out for five games.
Clearly, he’s hoping that his outlook is closer to his 2022 injury than his 2018 one. The veteran forward was still disappointed during his post-game presser as he shared that the Lakers would “look at each day, see if it gets better and take the proper measurements” to figure out the path forward.
LeBron's update on his groin: pic.twitter.com/sGMoRC06Hw
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) March 9, 2025
With Jaxson Hayes and Rui Hachimura already sidelined with knee injuries, JJ Redick’s side will be sorely missing size over the next few games. Their next matchup against the Brooklyn Nets should register an easy win for the Purple and Gold but they face a harder schedule thereafter.
After Monday’s contest in New York, the Lakers are set to play 6 games in 8 nights, four of which will be against the Nuggets and the Bucks. Redick will certainly hope to have James back in a week so that he can lend some inside presence against two of the premier bigs in the NBA.
